2010 ~ No. 2    

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR LA SPINETTA'S GIORGIO RIVETTI

If the wine world has a rock star, it could be Giorgio Rivetti. At industry tasting events, the crowd around his table can be three deep – six if the winemaker himself is there pouring. Sommeliers vie to let him know that this wine or that is poured by the glass at their restaurant – and would he like to come by for dinner?

The feeling is mutual. Rivetti shakes hands with everyone possible, easily answering questions about the wines, and offering each person a taste of their favorite “to take with you” as they continue about the room.

In a sense, La Spinetta began in the 1890s with Giovanni Rivetti, Giorgio’s grandfather. An Italian immigrant in Argentina, he longed to return to his homeland and make wine. He was not able to fulfill that dream, though his son Giuseppe did. The winery became reality in 1977, when Giuseppe and his family took up residence at La Spinetta, or “top of the hill.”

The family began making Moscato, a slightly sparkling white wine that at the time wasn’t held in high regard. Over the years, they began making red wines from native Piedmont varietals, growing and expanding their vineyard holdings over the course of some 15 years. Their newest venture started in 2001, with the acquisition of a vineyard in Tuscany.

Giorgio Rivetti agreed to answer a few questions for us, lending insight into the family’s wine journey.

Your family's winemaking history dates back to your grandfather. Did you always want to be a winemaker or were you ever tempted by something else?

No, there was never any other temptation; I always wanted to become a winemaker. I grew up between vineyards and knew from childhood on, that I wanted to become a farmer in the vineyards, which makes wine. That description is probably more fitting than the title winemaker.

Many people look up to you as a master winemaker. Who (or what) is your inspiration?

My biggest inspiration was my father, who had a Moscato vineyard and showed me how to grow beautiful Moscato grapes. For the knowledge in the cellar, I went to winemaking school and afterwards widened my horizon by traveling to France; especially Burgundy I felt could answer my questions, of how to make the wines that I wanted to make.

Tell me a little bit about the evolution of La Spinetta wines.

It was actually always my dream to one day make a Barbaresco or Barolo, but in 1977, when I started [at] 19 years of age, my family did not own a Barolo or Barbaresco vineyard nor did we have money to buy one. I started with making Moscato, because it was the most logic[al] step, as my family owned a Moscato vineyard.

In 1977 hardly anybody put great efforts in making quality Moscato, so when I did, we had right away great success. We expanded the Moscato production, by being able to buy further vineyards. This way La Spinetta was growing slowly. After the Moscato we bought Barbera d'Asti vineyards and started making our first red. In 1989 we made the Pin, a blend that immediately received 3 glasses [the highest award from Gambero Rosso]. Only in 1995 we had finally achieved enough financial success to be able to buy the Barbaresco Gallina vineyard.

The Estate in Tuscany we started for different reasons. My goal as a farmer, winemaker and representative of the Italian wine culture is to focus on indigenous grape varieties. This aim often made me criticize my Tuscan winemaking colleagues. I did not understand why in the past in Tuscany the producers were ripping out beautiful old Sangiovese vineyards in order to make space for young Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The motivation was to serve a global taste market.

Often the discussions turned into arguments. During one of these disagreements, one Tuscan producer challenged me by accusing me of just talking and criticizing instead of trying to make good Sangiovese myself. I felt challenged. I told the producer that I will find a great Sangiovese vineyard and proof that Sangiovese is one of the best varieties in Italy. I immediately started looking for old Sangiovese vineyards in the area of Pisa. The 2001 Sezzana was the result of this challenge.

After the acquisition of a Cru vineyard near Casciana Terme, the grapes were transported in cooled trucks to [our] Castagnole Lanze winery in Piedmont and 10,000 bottles of Sezzana 2001 were made. Then the Casanova project continued. By buying further vineyards and land and by planting more Sangiovese, Prugnolo Gentile, Colorino and Vermentino, the Casanova Estate grew and at the same time the growth required its own cellar. Today Casanova is 65 hectares of vineyard and a state of the art cellar.

I am very proud of this challenge and keen to have people try my newest Tuscan wine, the Toscana Vermentino 2009 that is coming out next month.

What are the differences between the Piedmont and Tuscan estates in terms of vineyard management, winemaking style and wine character?

Generally I like to say the Piedmont producers are farmers or at least their families were. The owner of the Piedmont winery is most likely also the winemaker. In Tuscany that is different. Tuscan Estates are owned by noble families or by industrial families from the north. The owners hire winemakers to make the wine for them. The connection to the land is not the same as it is in Piedmont and that might also explain why Tuscan producers don't mind to plant world varietals to serve a world taste. In Piedmont we are so proud on our indigenous varieties. Nobody would ever tear out the Nebbiolo on a Barolo vineyard and replace it with Merlot.

What's next?

I am definitely not planning on growing La Spinetta any further. We are still a family winery and most positions are filled with family members. If we were to grow bigger, we could not keep the family status, which I enjoy very much and that I am proud of. My sister is the vineyard manager, my brothers for years worked very hard [at] my side, my nephews and nieces help with the business, my wife helps with export sales, my son is in charge of the winemaking work.

It is a privilege for me to work in a field that is my complete passion while having all of my family around. Of course it is also a challenge, but after 32 years I think we have proved that only together we can achieve our goals.

Of course the world does not stop turning and therefore we also always will have news and changes, but nothing major is planned. Currently we are implementing a new vineyard project. We have selected some vineyards to work biodynamic only in order to see how it can improve the quality of our wines. We also have created a private Club, the One Liter Club, that is a forum for La Spinetta fans and wine lovers…offering to them One Liter formats of special wine that will not go into general distribution. It is a great tool to be in touch with your final customer.

WINE REVIEWS

Some thoughts on La Spinetta wines I’ve tasted recently:

Casanova della Spinetta Il Nero di Casanova 2006: Smooth and easy blend of sangiovese with just a touch of colorino. Changes with every sip; a winner with food. Rating: A1 Price: $22.50

Casanova della Spinetta Il Colorino di Casanova 2005: Made exclusively from the native grape colorino. Fresh with notes of blueberry and spice. Quite tasty. Rating: A2 Price: $23.50

Casanova della Spinetta Il Gentile di Casanova 2005: Made from the native grape prugnolo gentile, a relative of sangiovese. Very soft and smooth with notes of earth, red fruit and plum. Rating: B2 Price: $23.50

Casanova della Spinetta “Sassontino” 2004: Single vineyard sangiovese, this wine is smooth with tomato notes that made me want a pizza to go with it. Nice, crisp character makes this a good food wine. Rating: B3 Price: $45

La Spinetta Nebbiolo Langhe “Starderi” 2007: Fierce with notes of earth, mushroom and black pepper. Goes down surprisingly smoothly. Rating: A1 Price: $25.50

La Spinetta Barolo “Campe” 2004: Deep, tannic and delicious. Earth and mushroom notes predominate with hints of fruit flavor lurking underneath. Rating: B3 Price: $142.50

The wines are rated A to F for quality (C is average) and 1 to 3 for value, with 1 a wine that tastes better than its price, 2 is neutral and 3 is a wine that isn't up to snuff for the cost. All prices are estimated retail.

PIEDMONT & TUSCANY

Italy’s two most famous wine regions couldn’t be more different. Here is a quick overview of what to expect from each.

Piedmont nestles in northwest Italy among the rolling foothills of the Alps and Apennines mountains. The most important grape here by far is nebbiolo, a delicate varietal that needs sunshine to ripen fully but doesn’t do well in heat.

Like pinot noir, it is sensitive to variations in soil and climate. The hills around Alba combine clay and limestone soils with foggy conditions that protect the vineyards from the hottest sun, for the best expression of this grape’s unique character.

The greatest nebbiolo wines come from Barolo, a small village south of Alba. These wines tend to be powerful and complex, with high tannins that give the wine its ability to age. The best Barolos are marked under a vineyard name.

Barbaresco is the more “feminine” counterpart to Barolo, so dubbed because the wines have shorter ageing requirements that mean the wine typically isn’t as heavy. That said, many of them can equal Barolo’s power and age-worthiness.

Piedmont’s other well-known red wines are barbera (a grape), which is very mild and fruit forward with a food-friendly acidity; and dolcetto (also a grape), a very light, easy-drinking wine.

The region also produces a slightly sweet, frizzante red wine called Brachetto d’Acqui that is delectably refreshing. And speaking of bubbly, Piedmont also is home to Asti and Moscato d’Asti, sweet fizzy white wines that are fresh and aromatic.

Two still white wines from Piedmont to try are Roero Arneis and Gavi, both appellations known for their crisp, clean wines.

While Piedmont produces a wide range of wines from an equally diverse number of grapes, Tuscany is pretty much all about the red grape sangiovese.

The region boasts undulating hills of calcium-rich clay soils offering a variety of exposures. Though the summer afternoon sun can get quite warm, high elevations combine with cool night air to preserve the grape’s aromatics.

Italy’s most famous wine, Chianti, is from this region, among the first in Europe to establish wine laws and regulations. There are eight sub-zones within Chianti, including Chianti Classico and Chianti Rufina.

Several other key appellations also produce sangiovese, including Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino (the latter has less stringent ageing requirements); Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which tends to be more round and velvety than sangiovese from Chianti or Brunello; and Morellino di Scansano, an up-and-coming region known for its supple wines.

Though a handful of white wines are made here, most are fairly undistinguished. The exception is Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a dry white that first gained fame back in the year 1000.

Though it is produced in other regions, Vin Santo is considered a Tuscan specialty. This sweet wine is crafted from white grapes (usually malvasia and/or trebbiano) that have been left to raisinate, resulting in a super-concentrated wine.

Finally, one can’t discuss Tuscany without mention of SuperTuscans, some of the region’s best and most innovative wines. This category was created by winemakers desiring to stretch their wings beyond strict appellation regulations. (In fact, many contain no sangiovese at all.) Though they are labeled simply as Vino di Tavola, the best of them are among the finest in the world.